Arab summit in Cairo

22 October 2000

The final communiqué of the summit, adopted by 21 votes out of 22, disregarded radical positions by Iraq (which called for holy war) and Libya (which refused to sign). Israeli prime minister Ehud Barak welcomed this “victory of wisdom in the Arab world”.

Final communiqué

In a strong-worded declaration issued Sunday at the close of a two-day emergency pan-Arab summit in Cairo, the leaders of 22 Arab states said they will not resume any official or unofficial activities within the context of multilateral track until a tangible achievement is seen towards realizing a just and comprehensive peace.

The Arab leaders decided to halt any regional economic cooperation with Israel, which they held as responsible for any steps taken by Arab countries, after the suspension of the peace process due to the dire consequences of such a halt.

The Arab leaders, in their declaration, stressed their support to the establishment of an independent Palestinian state with East Jerusalem as its capital and placing all holy places under the Palestinian sovereignty.

The leaders recalled UN Security Council resolution 478 of 1980 that calls on the world states not to shift their embassies to Jerusalem and assures cutting relations with states that adopt such move or recognize Jerusalem as the capital of Israel without reaching a just and comprehensive peace according to international legitimacy.

With the new mechanism in place, Arab leaders will meet regularly every march for an annual summit.

The Arab leaders, during their just-concluded summit meeting in Cairo, approved that the new mechanism be attached as an appendix to the Arab league charter.

In addition to the regular convocation of Arab summits, the Arab leaders shall meet for extraordinary gatherings if necessary during events of bearing on Arab national security.

The relevant formula stipulates that in such a case, the extraordinary meeting will be held upon the request of one member state or the Arab league Secretary General with the approval of two thirds of the pan-Arab organization’s member countries.

Presidency of the regular Arab summits will be rotated in the alphabetical order of the league’s member states.

Arab leaders lauded the spirit of solidarity that marked their two-day extraordinary summit and its deliberations.

In their final statement released Sunday, Arab leaders said that the spirit of solidarity reflected the deep sense of concern of Arab governments and peoples towards the gravity of the current situation and the need to formulate a single Arab stance to revive the peace process.

The final communiqué said that just and comprehensive peace in the region would not be fulfilled without bringing the holy Jerusalem under full Palestinian sovereignty.

The communiqué, which capped two days of debates, also demanded recognition of the Palestinians’ legal rights, including the establishment of their independent state with Jerusalem as its capital.

The Arab leaders also commended their peoples` response to the Palestinian Intifada (uprising) against Israeli atrocities. They demanded Israel immediately halt all “provocative practices” and its oppressive policies against Palestinians.

They said they would meet next march in Amman, Jordan, for their first regular summit meeting.

"The regular convocation of the summit will consolidate joint Arab action, particularly in the economic field ", they said in their statement.